Process of obtaining hydrogen gas



UNITED STATES PATENT: OFFICE.

LUDWIG Mono, or NORTIIWIOH, coun'rr or cnns'run, AND CARL L'ANGER, 4

or SOUTH IIAMPS'IEAD, conx'rr or MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND" PROCESS OF OBTAINING HYDROGEN'GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,068, dated December 10, 1889.

Application filed March 7,1889. Serial N3. 302,323- (No specimens.) Patented in England BOPlGBmbOhL1-888, No. 12,608 i in France February 28. 1889, No.'196,381; in Belgium February 28, 1889, No. 85,201, and in Italy larch 31,1889,XXIX,'25,043,

XLIX, 150.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, LUDWIG MOND and EARL LANGER, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, and residents of Northwich and 5 South Hampstead, respectively, both in the Kingdom of England, have invented certain' new and useful Improvements in the Process of Obtaining Hydrogen Gas, (which has been patented in England, No. 12,608, dated Sepro tember 1,1888; in France, No. 196,381, dated February 98, 1389; in Belgium, No. 85,201, dated February 28, 1889, and in Italy, XXIX, 25,043, XLIX, 150, dated March 31, 1889,) of which the following is a specification.

t5v By the distillation or incomplete combustion, in presence or in the absence of steam, of oil, lignite, wood, coke, animal carbon, or organic su bstances in general,gases are obtained which consist, chiefly, of hydrogemcarbnrets of hydrogen, monoxide anddioxide of carbon, and a greater or less quantity of nitrogen.

The object of our invention is to eliminate from these gases the monoxide of carbon and the carburets of hydrogen, and at the same time to increase the amount of hydrogen contained. if a mixture of monoxide of carbon or of carburet of hydrogen and steam be heated to white heat, the latter is decomposed and c the carbon of the gases is oxidized to a'dioxide and the hydrogen set at liberty.- The high temperature required for this reaction. renders it of little profit, and it is ditticultio produce it on an industrial scale. V We have found that if monoxide of carbon and hydrocarburets be placed in contact with nickel or metallic cobalt at a temperature not exceeding red heat these gases are decomposed into carbon and dioxide of carbon on the one hand and hydrogen on the other. The free carbon so formed placed in contact with steam at a moderate tcmperato re decomposes the latter and forms dioxide of carbon and hydrogen. If the steam and 195 the gases are mixed from the commencement,

the two reactions take place simultaneously,

and the result is a gas practically free from monoxide of carbon and hydrocarburets. It.

is quite possible to attain our object by carr ing out consecutively the two above-men- 5o tioned reactions and by repeating them'continually with the same quantity of nickel and cobalt, which will always be regenerated. we prefer, however, to carry out these two reactions simultaneously, at the same time employing the least possible amount of nickel and cobalt. W'ith this object we spread the aforesaid metals on an indifferent refractory and porous material. For example, we saturate pieces of pumice-stone with a solution 6 of chloride of nickel or cobalt, dry andreduce at a high temperature with hydrogen.

To carry out our invention, we lead the gases, with an excess of steam, into retorts pr cylinders fixed in a suitable furnace and containing pieces of pumice-stone impregnated with nickel or cobalt, as above mentioned. If nickel be used,the reaction takes Dlace at a temperature of 350 or 400 centigrade; if cobalt is used, at a temperature of 400 or 450 centigrade. The reactions which take place between the gas and the steam produce heat, so that the given temperature once reached the reaction goes on of itself, without need of external heating beyond the heat introduced by the hot gases.

It may, however, be advantageous to use gases-or steam, or both, heated to a suitable temperature before they are placed in the retorts. 'Thc gases so treated contaiirlittle or no monoxide of carbon.

To obtain pure hydrogen from the mixture of carbonic acid and hydrogen, the mixture is passed over or through layers of lime or of caustic alkali. 5

\Vc claim as our invention- Y 1. The process of obtaining hydrogen from hydrogen contaminated with carbon monoxide or hydrocai'lions which consists in subjecting such contaminated hydrogen to the 0 action of metallic nickel or cobalt and steam at the tempcraturedescrihed, and separating the carbon dibxide thereby formed by subjecting the resultant gases to the action of caustic lime or alkali.

. 2. The improvement in the'process of ob- {2 1 'ei'a ccsor" hydrocarbons, which tained.

mining hydrogen free from carbon monoxide ing hydrogen contaminated with carbon monoxide or hydrocarbons s'ubsiantiallyas described.

3. The-improvement iri'the process of obtaining' hydrogen, which" consists-in sulgjecting. the mass of nickel or cobalt and c'arb'on (formed by subjecting bon monoxide or hydrocarbons to the action of metallic nickel or cobalt at a snitable tem perature) to the action of steam substantially at the temperature set forth,,whereby a mixture of carbon dioxide and consists in subject to the action of me 'ta'llic nickel or cobalt at the temperatures wtion of steam and of gases. containingca'r hydrogen is obmining.

or hydrocarbons, which consists in exposing hydrogen contaminated with carbon monoxide. or hydrocarbons, or both, to the joint acmetallic nickel or cobalt at a temperature substantially as described,

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subsc ibing witnesses.

LUDWIG MOND. CARL LANGER; Witnesses:

ALFRED J i Bomfzr, HARRY B. BRIDGE. 

